blog about the japanese voices you hear in your head

#31 – Ishikawa Kaito

Ishikawa is still a relative newbie with just 2 years under his belt but he has had a pretty meteoric rise through the ranks and is already a regular leading man. You’ll surely be seeing/hearing more of him in years to come.

1. Please tell us how you became a seiyuu.
I’d been doing theatre in high school so the aim had always been to become an actor. I was a fan of both film and anime at the time and was considering getting involved in either industry; in the end I chose voice acting.

4. Please tell us if any of the characters you are voicing now share any similarities to yourself.
I’ve been told that I resemble Tobio whenever I’m thinking of something.

5. From all the shows you’ve been in, please tell us about any one scene that left a particularly strong impression.
When a character who isn’t very good at expressing himself tries to get his feelings across – I find that kind of scene memorable.

6. Please tell us any horror stories or memorable tales from the recording studio.
When I tried to get rid of my nerves by lightly beating myself on the chest it freaked out the people around me…what a failure I thought I was.

7. Are there any seiyuu you see as rivals or as someone to aim for?
I am my own biggest enemy.

8. If you weren’t a seiyuu, what do you think you would be doing now?
I’ve never really thought about it, but I’d probably be doing something related to acting.

10. On the flipside, what’s the happiest thing(s) that has happened to you as a seiyuu?
When I received fanletters for the first time, I felt overjoyed at the fact that my acting had reached out (to others). It’s a feeling that hasn’t ever changed, up til now.

11. Do you like singing? What has left the biggest impression when it comes to singing thus far?
I like singing. I’m not very good at it though…

12. From all the radio shows you have hosted, were there any mails that left an impression on you?
When people write in with impressions of the anime that I’ve acted in.

13. Is there anything you take particular care about when you’re acting?
I try as much as possible to erase any traces of the person ‘Ishikawa Kaito’ in my acting, but it’s something that’s hard to do.

14. What kind of roles would you consider your specialty?
I myself am not sure about it but I hope to find out someday.

15. Tell us what goals and dreams you have as a seiyuu?
I’d like to be able to voice characters around whom the story revolves. It’d be nice to become an actor who can put on a convincing performance even with just one breath.

16. To the people who are aiming to become seiyuu, please give them a word of advice.
It applies to someone like me too, but to be a seiyuu or an actor, one needs to put in continuous effort. Keep thinking of how to move forward.

17. Apart from the shows that you’ve been in, are there anime that you like to watch?
I watched Card Captor Sakura. I’ve even got the Blu-ray box set. Lately I just try as much as possible to watch whatever’s airing at that moment.

18. In relation to the above, are there any types of roles you’d like to voice or perhaps, characters that you admire?
I admire characters that have a strong presence.

19. As a viewer, what kind of anime do you like?
I don’t really watch specific genres but what I do like are shows that are people-centric.

20. What kind of child were you?
I was the kind of kid who’d go jump into the park lake to play in the dead of winter.

*Hiruobi! is a TBS variety show aimed at women, Hodo Station is TV Asahi’s news programme, The! Tetsuwan DASH!! is a variety show featuring Johnny’s Group TOKIO, Getsuyou.. is comedy/satire show covering everyday issues (think Japanese version of Daily Show), Matsuko (Deluxe) & Ariyoshi (Hiroiki) is a talk show that answers viewer questions on issues of the day.